Martin out for season, playing future 'doesn't look too bright'
Football Betting Lines
11/01/2006 - Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Jets running back Curtis Martin was placed on the Reserved/Physically Unable to Perform list on Wednesday, officially ending the star tailback's season before it began.
Martin had arthroscopic surgery on his knee back in December and was first placed on the PUP list in August. It has since been widely rumored that he was done for the season and perhaps even for his career.
Martin did nothing to dispel the rumors that his playing days might be over.
"With the information I know about my future, it doesn't look too bright as far as me having a further career," said a candid Martin at a press conference on Wednesday.
Jets head coach Eric Mangini said two weeks ago that Martin wouldn't see action until at least after the Browns game this past Sunday, which turned out to be a 20-13 loss.
Martin said that he did not make a final decision until Tuesday, and that pushing his knee further right now would likely mean more medical procedures in the near future.
"This is something that is beyond my control; this is something that is beyond my threshold for pain," Martin said.
The 33-year-old from the University of Pittsburgh has broken nearly every team rushing record since joining the Jets in 1998, including yards (10,302), touchdowns (58) and 100-yard games (43).
In his career, which also includes a three-year stint with the Patriots, Martin has rushed for 14,101 yards and 90 touchdowns in 168 games. He has also caught 10 TD passes and is fourth on the NFL's all-time rushing list.
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats will begin the 2006-07 NBA campaign without starting center Primoz Brezec. The 7-foot-1 Brezec could miss up to two weeks because of exhaustion and dehydration. "We feel that rest is
<< Suns try to rebound from loss against Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers open the 2006-07 season this
evening on the road when they take on the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center.
The Clippers, who have played in the shadows of the cross-town rival Lakers,
finally made
<< National championship contenders meet in Louisville
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The national championship picture will gain some clarity
Thursday evening, as the third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and the
fifth-ranked Louisville Cardinals are set to collide in a much-
anti
<< Trojans seek redemption at Stanford
<< Leafs head south to battle Lightning
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try for their first three-game
winning streak of the season when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight
at St. Pete Times Forum.
The Maple Leafs won back-to-back games for the first time
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jeff Suppan, who was honored as the National League Championship Series MVP this year, was among five players to file for free agency Wednesday. Suppan, who went 12-7 with a
Phils, Rowand decline options for 2007 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies and Aaron Rowand
both declined their options for the 2007 season, allowing the center fielder
to become eligible for salary arbitration.
Rowand declined his $3.25 million play
Hurricanes continue dominance of Thrashers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney each tallied
two goals and two assists as the Carolina Hurricanes continued their dominance
of the Atlanta Thrashers this season with a 5-2 victory at Philips Arena.
Scott Wa
Howard powers Magic past Bulls >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard posted 27 points and 11 rebounds
to lead the Orlando Magic over the Chicago Bulls, 109-94, at TD Waterhouse
Center.
Grant Hill scored 19 points for the Magic, who won their season opener. Jam
Lebda lifts Red Wings over Flames >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Lebda's third-period goal turned out to
be the game winner as the Detroit Red Wings held off the Calgary Flames, 3-2,
at Joe Louis Arena.
Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom also tallied goals for the
Sportsbooks to bet on football
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.